Automatic telegraphy.



I. W. LARISH.

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1913.

1,182,849. Patented May9, 1916. r

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warren sraras rare carton JOSEPH W. LARISI-I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.ASSIGNOB T0 R. H. SELLERS COMPANY, OF NEW 'YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFNEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPHY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH IV. LAnrsi-I, a citizen of the United States.residing in the borough of lWlanhattan, city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a certa n new and useful Improvement in AutomaticTelegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to automatic or machine telegraphy ofthe kind in which perforated transmitting tapes are used. It may,however, be usefully applicable in other relations.

In automatic telegraphy, the perforated transmitting tape traversesbetween opposed contacts that meet through the perforations and sotransmit into the line successive signal impulses.

It is the purpose of this invention to electrically improve suchcontacts which ordinarily are made and broken with great rapidity.

In some automatic systems, it has been proposed to employ a singlecontact connected to the line and in others, two such contacts. Thelatter is the arrangement employed in the Delany system. The linecontact is usually placed above the tape and bears upon it so that whena perforation arrives opposite the contact the latter' passes throughthe perforation into electrical connection with the cooperating contactbeneath the tape. Of course, the line contact might be beneath the tapeand the cooperating contact above it. These suggestions are allapplicable to the present invention.

The accompanying drawing shows the invention in a form which experiencehas demonstrated to be practical and highly efficient.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on the line A, B of Fig. 2: Fig. 2, asection on the line C, G of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a partial plan.

The wheel or rotating contact member, in the construction illustrated,comprises a metal bushing 1 having a flange head 2 by which it may beattached to a shaft 8. Over the bushing contiguous to the head is aninsulating disk 4 against which is held a hub 5 of insulating materialwhich has a central radial flange 6 on the respective sides of which aredriven or tightly seated on the hub annular metal contact rings 7 8. Onthe shaft outside the hub is an insulating ring 9 and the parts are setup against the flange 2 by a nut 10 applied to the threaded end of thebushing. The contact rings 7 8 have peripheral faces flush with that ofthe flange 6 and upon such flat surfaces may bear contacting brushes 15,connected with the transmitter battery or source of energy. At the inneredge of each of the conducting rings 7, 8, is a raised annular rib 11. Aperforated transmitting tape 12 passes over and partly around the wheelcontact just described. This tape is shown as having parallel series-ofperforations. The tape is of such width as to be conveniently guidedbetween the insulating washers a, 9, and the parallel series ofperforations are so spaced as to overlie the annular ribs 11. In linewith the perforations and hence in line with the ribs 11 there areelastic fingers 13, 13, which may be electrically connected together andto line. Each of the fingers 13 is made up of a plurality of conductingwires of suitable elasticity. This is seen in Fig. 1 which shows fourwires in each brush 13. There may be more or only three. The widthacross the ends of these brushes should forations in the tape; and theannular conducting ribs 11 at their base lines should 7 preferably benot of greater width than the diameter of the perforations in the tape.A contact member having a raised continuous rib, such as 11, is in itsbest form, circular. It may run as an idler and be rotated by frictionalcontact with the perforated tape drawn over it; or it may be driven andif desired cooperate in the feed or drawing of the transmitting tape.The object of this organization is to obtain clean electrical contact.That is effected by the character of the contact surfaces. The elasticseparatestrands or wires of the brush tend to press through theperforations against the annular rib 11, and act upon the rib to keep itburnished and in good condition for electrical contact because theclastic wires will slip laterally downwardly across or along the sidesof the rib maintaining its surface in favorable condition for contactwith the individual wires.

Heretofore in automatic telegraphy, the maintenance of conditionsfavorable to good electric contact has been difficult to secure and muchtrouble has been experienced in the practical operation of such systemsemploying perforated tapes. The construction herein described has beenexhaustively tried out in practical commercial use which hasdemonstrated that it eliminates the various contact troubles heretoforeforming an objectionable incident to the operation of such systems inrapid telegraphy.

I claim:

1. A rotatable contact member for automatic electrical transmissionprovided with an annular contact rib in combination with a contact brushengaging said rib on its 0pposite sides.

2. A rotatable contact member for automatic electrical transmissionprovided with an annular contact rib curved convexly in cross-section incombination with a contact brush engaging said rib on its oppositesides.

3. In automatic electrical transmission, a contact member convexlyformed to engage a wire brush in combination with a wire brush, thewires of which are separated laterally by the convex member whichengages the sides of the wire as the perforated tape passes between thebrush and contact memher.

4. A contact member having a continuous annular rib curved convexly incrosssection and adapted to be in line with a series of longitudinalperforations in a trans- Oopies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

mitting tape and a cooperating contact brush also adapted to be in linewith said perforations and with said ribs said brush being composed of aplurality of small resilient electrical conductors tending to passthrough perforations in the tape into con-' tact with the middle portionand also the sides of the conveXly curved surface of said rib to thusmake good electrical contact therewith and to clean or burnish it.

5. In automatic telegraphy, a rotatable contact member having aperipheral continuous convexly curved contact rib adapted to be in linewith a series of perforations in a transmitting tape and a cooperatingcontact brush composed of a plurality of elastic attenuated conductorswhich by their resilience tend to pass through the perforations in atape into contact with the middle portion and also the sides of theconvexly curved surface of said rib to thus make good electrical contacttherewith and to clean or burnish it.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOSEPH W. LARISH.

Witnesses:

H. WHiLEYMAN, BUTLER JACK.

Washington, D. G.

